Cessna 172N accident near Longmont, Colorado, July 30, 2022
On July 30, 2022 at about 3:11 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna 172N, registered N6587E, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Longmont, Colorado (Vance Brand Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor’s failure to properly supervise the student pilot, which resulted in a continued unstablized approach for landing, and the instructor’s delayed recovery that resulted in a loss of control and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 2022 · about 3:11 pm local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Longmont, Colorado · Vance Brand Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N, built 1978 · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6587E · registry record · serial 17272040
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor stated that the approach during the student’s fifth landing became unstable. The airplane was near the runway edge when the instructor told the student pilot to initiate a go-around. The instructor said that full engine power was applied, but there was no major increase in thrust. The flight instructor then took the controls from the student but was unable to regain control of the airplane. The airplane then impacted the ground alongside the runway and sustained substantial damage to the wings. Postaccident examination of the airframe and testing of the engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have resulted in the engine not producing full power.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during approach defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during approach
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR go-around)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › (general) › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,152 hours in all; 339 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 111 in the last 30 days; 1,058 as pilot in command; 730 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 11, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 78.7 hours in all; 78.7 in this make and model; 24.8 in the last 90 days; 6.8 in the last 30 days; 7.6 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,238.2 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 14, 2022; 90.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BJC Broomfield CO at 2:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 4,799 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 74°F (23°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 9:00 am from BJC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 5 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Accident Aircraft
Photograph 2 – Left Wing
Photograph 3 – Left Wing
Photograph 4 – Left Wing
Photograph 5 – Right WingThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on January 31, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flight Instructor - Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Student Pilot - Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Vance Brand Airport (Lmo) Surveillance Video East | AVI file | Download |
| 4 | Vance Brand Airport (Lmo) Surveillance Video South | AVI file | Download |
| 5 | Vance Brand Airport (Lmo) Surveillance Video West | AVI file | Download |
| 6 | Memorandum of Record Engine Test Run | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Interviews | PDF, 241 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Last Aircraft Inspections | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Photos | PDF, 7 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 10 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 14 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N6587E on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,680 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD 83 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Vance Brand Airport · nearest airport
- Rocky Mountain Metro Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 384 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,455 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN22LA362.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.